Welcome to SOULMATE, we are a real-life city role play set in the fictional town of Mariet, Louisiana. Its real life with a twist, can you find your soulmate? Cupid can help you. Over 7 years and still going strong!

Mariet is far from immune to the allure of the Christmas spirit. Some feel that Christmas isnít complete without a grand live Christmas tree, and this year in Mariet people can find their fill of them. The community has organized a Celebration of Lights. A designated path through the forest is lined with personally decorated displays, with the help of cleverly hidden mobile generators. The organizers and volunteers put their heart into this display, and it is open to the public for nightly walks. Can you feel the Christmas spirit yet?

BOARD AVAILABLE UNTIL: January 8th

CREDITS

The idea behind SOULMATE is credited to exhoxxash. Forum areas and descriptions credited to magnet dragon, piers, echoxxash and some members of the site. Skin base code credit to Cassie @ Caution, with edits and images from Ana. 'Porthole' code created by Alygator @ Caution. Ana made the awesome graphics seen around the site- the header, the sidebar, the advert, the pips and the member group images. Kaka and Ana coded the various templates around the site, unless otherwise credited. Some additional coding help from Caution!, ATF!, Shine, and Dynamic Drive. Site affiliate buttons were made by Ana, and Piers. All other graphics and code should be credited where credit is due.

ALL CHARACTERS, PLOTS AND OTHER WRITING ARE OWNED BY THE MEMBERS OF THIS SITE AND SHOULD NOT BE COPIED, PARTIALLY OR FULLY, ON ANY OTHER SITE.

Jem had been to the O club before. On quite a few occasions actually. He always thought that the people who sat around with the oxygen nubs in their noses looked silly. It was supposed to make people feel more energized and lively, and Jem supposed there were far worse ways to accomplish the same feeling. He would know all about that obviously. As hypocritical as it was to judge someone for putting a piece of plastic in their nose, he wasn't at the O club to participate in oxygen huffing. He went to the O club for two simple reasons, he went for the alcohol, and he went for the dance floor. Working at Spectrum was nice. Believe it or not, he actually liked his job. But working at Spectrum meant that he didn't want to spend every night there. Not that he didn't go there now and again. He liked the people that came in to Spectrum. But sometimes a change of scenery was nice. Obvious was a bit too high class for him. Tim's was alright, not really his style either, but he went there every now and then. So that left the O club.

Jem was dressed nicely. He wore a white button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, a pair of black suspenders attached to his black pants. A black tie to finish it off. He was almost passable for Obvious. A blazer and a better attitude would get him through the door quite easily. But he didn't have the desire to put on a blazer or the nice guy attitude. He had every desire to come sit at this bar, drink until he was pleasantly buzzed, perhaps dance a while with some pretty lady or gent, finish the night out with more drinks, pills perhaps, if he needed that extra shove into oblivion. He would probably figure out how to get himself home before he downed the pills. He had passed out in public before, and it really wasn't the ideal way to do things. In public, if you passed out you were left in the hands of those surrounding you, and that's how he had come to wake up drunk and drugged in a minister's bed. Not that the minister had drugged him, he'd done that to himself quite willingly. And it wasn't like the minister had taken advantage. Still. He didn't need any repeats. He would rather pass out where he knew no one was going to touch him.

He walked up to the bar. He ordered tequila shots. He might as well get things started right and get part one of this plan done right. He downed the first two pretty quickly. But he paused there and let his eyes drift over the floor. He liked to watch people. People were interesting. All sorts of people. It wasn't too uncommon for him to run in to someone he knew now adays. He had only been in Mariet a couple years, but being a bar tender, and having quite a social life himself, meant meeting quite a lot of people. He had developed quite a reputation already. But there were no familiar faces in the club tonight. That was fine. He had no opposition to meeting new people. He was pretty good at that actually.

Jem's alcohol consumption had taken off lately. Between the alcohol and pills it was amazing that Jem was able to hold down a job, and actually function in life. Of course there were hiccups in the path. Nights when he got his ass kicked, or kicked his own ass with the shit he put in to his body, but really, the kid hadn't hit rock bottom yet, so why would he change his ways now? Even the lows he did have were not enough to shake him, not enough to scare him straight. Besides, if he were ever to stop that shit, he was going to require far more than just will power. And right now he didn't have the will power, nor the support system. So fuck it, have a drink.

His eyes were glancing around the club like a wolf tracking down it's prey. Searching out someone who looked like they could be fine. Instead of having to go to them, however, a cute blonde girl he had never met was making her way over to him. Well, not him specifically. The bar. But she was taking a seat right next to him, and that was all he really needed to start a conversation, someone close enough to hear him. Jem was cocksure and brave. He never got freaked out by a pretty face, what was worse was that he never knew when to quit. Jem was an obnoxious flirt, and this girl was definitely attractive. So much prettier without a hose stuck to her nose. Not that he should really be judging, but he was anyway. "Good evening for a drink." He vaguely recalled the juniper street minister saying the same thing to him when he had sat at his bar in Spectrum. Of course, Vincent hadn't been flirting with him. He had had another agenda entirely. He grinned at his new company. "Don't think I've seen you around here before." Not that he frequented the O club all that often. Now and again, but it wasn't a hot spot for him by any means. "I'm Jem. What's your name?" So far, so nice, but Jesse was drinking next to a wolf in sheep's clothing. Well, that was a good way to describe him at the moment. It was hard to tell what the night would bring.

The club was playing some obnoxious noise that must have been considered music. Not even Jem liked whatever this was, but there was still a beat to it, which meant there was still a press of bodies on the dance floor. That's where he wanted to go. Blondie hadn't even gotten her drink yet, though, so it looked like it was time for small talk instead.

His shots were downed and gone too quickly. That was the trouble with shots. They went so quickly, and then he had nothing in his hand, and when there was nothing in front of him, he was far more likely to order more alcohol. It was far safer for him to have a beer in hand then shots. At least he could string a beer along for a while, ration it out. He always got fucked up too fast on shots. Another lesson that had yet to sink in to his head. Shot glasses stood empty in front of him, so it was time to turn his attention to the blonde sitting beside him. He liked blondes. Her golden hair was calling out to him, telling him to run his fingers through it. For now he was playing nice, and opened up dialogue with a simple statement. "I suppose it is." What night wasn't good for a drink? Working at Spectrum meant serving others while not partaking himself. Sometimes he didn't bother. Other times his thirst for an alcoholic beverage was enough to put him in a bad mood when he was pouring someone else's glass.

"You haven't." That was a relief. So far he had done alright. One of these days, he was going to walk up to some girl or boy and flirt with them, just to get slapped across the face from when he had slept with them and not called back, and now no longer remembered them. That hadn't happened yet, luckily. He suddenly wondered if that had ever happened to Ari. Ari was about as much as a man whore as he was, but he wasn't about to ask him if that had ever happened to him. They were both sluts, but they weren't exactly friends. More like competition. They even stole playmates out of each other's arms. That's the kind of game that they played with each other. He suddenly hoped that Ari hadn't met this girl yet. He had a feeling that he hadn't. Only, and only because Ari was never with blondes. He didn't know if blondes weren't his type or not. It was just something he had noticed about his rival.

"Nice to meet you, Jem. I'm-" He looked down at the drink played in front of her. I'm Jessie." Ah, a well mannered girl. Or at least that was the impression that Jem was picking up from the blonde- eh- Jessie. He should start calling her Jessie he supposed. "Nice to meet you, Jessie." he returned the greeting. He wondered if Jessie was shy, or quiet. He liked those type of girls. The ones that didn't make it easy with, that required some extra flirtation before they opened up to him. The easy ones were still fun, but oh how fun it was when the goal had to be worked for. "Do you come here often?" Sounded like the lamest pick up line ever, but judging from her expression, she was asking a serious question. Jem shrugged his shoulders. How often was often? "I pop in every now and then. Spectrum is more my haunt then O club is." Partially because he lived there, but he did honestly like Spectrum more... he was just tired of being there after having worked there all day. Some times you just needed a break from work. "How bout you, sweetheart?" Pet names were common from Jem.

She offered a small smile to him as he returned her greeting, as it was the thing she knew she should have done. He answered her question pretty readily though and she noted the shrug he gave in response, a precursor to his voice. Every now and then, huh? Spectrum was the popular club not too far away, she was fairly sure. She'd not been there either and though it likely wasn't quite her cup of tea, she wouldn't oppose going. She wasn't too picky about where she went to drink or mingle, on the rare occasion that she did want to. Tonight seemed to be one of those occasions, having a bit of an easier time engaging in the conversation with him than she probably would have earlier in the week. Things had been quiet lately, so that helped too, no doubt. Any lengthy period of time where she didn't hear from her father was always a good thing and it put her in a slight better mood than normal.His inquiring volley back at her made her blush the slightest bit, unsure of why he would call her sweetheart if he didn't even know her. She wasn't quite used to others using pet names for her but it wasn't completely unheard of. It was really just unexpected. Uh, well... This is my first time here, actually. She lifted the glass to her lips, green eyes looking around before they settled on him again, a smile flickering across her lips again as she lowered the glass. I figured it was time I got out of the apartment anyway, y'know? She was trying to hold a conversation, not too good at doing so, her social skills a little lacking thanks to her very low self-esteem and lack in confidence. That should count for something, right?

In the end, a drink was a drink, and it didn't care to Jem where he was sitting his ass to drink it. He liked Spectrum, but after working there, a change was needed. The o club definitely had no problem making a drink, and besides for the kids with the hoses stuck to their faces, the club offered a pretty good environment. Those fucking hoses though. They just reminded Jem of people in hospitals. He didn't like it. Obviously he didn't let it get to him too much, because he was still here.

"Uh, well... This is my first time here, actually." Oh? That opened the door to many more questions. I figured it was time I got out of the apartment anyway, y'know? He didn't know how anyone could shut themselves away in an apartment. Jem would have gone crazy without the night life. He liked to be out. He liked to be doing things. "Well, I don't know if I'm the right person to welcome you, but welcome to the O club anyway." he said grinning at her. He made eye contact with the bartender and ordered a screw-up when he came over. He needed something he could take his time on. The glass was placed in front of him quickly. He raised it and took a sip before looking over at his new company. Was she blushing? Fuck, that was cute.

"So are you new to Mariet? Or do you just not get out that often?" she wasn't from around here, but that didn't mean she was new to the area either. She might just be one of those girls that liked to stay in rather than go out. Jem had to know. He was so curious. People were all interesting, all mysteries. You just had to know the right questions to ask to start figuring them out.

Ugh. Sorry for the terrible posts. They'll get better! <3She took a moment to wonder why he wouldn't be the right person to welcome her to the club, and couldn't really help the inquisitive look she fixed him with. There was no telling why he'd said that but her curiosity had been piqued and so she spoke up again. Thank you but... Why wouldn't you be? She didn't realize that Jem was a predator of sorts, fixing on a target (the prey) and giving chase until he had them in his grasp. Besides, even if she had realized, Jess would have automatically figured that she wasn't worth his time, a common assumption she made, unwilling to really think differently or any better about herself. But she wasn't thinking along that line, as he'd managed to distract her from it momentarily, watching him with her bright eyes.Kind'f both, actually... With the way he said it, she figured it was a bad thing that she didn't get out too much. I've only lived here for about two weeks. Maybe three... I can't really recall. She hadn't really gotten far but she could hope that her father wouldn't find her anytime soon. If anything, she at least hoped she had a heads up so that maybe she could go somewhere for a little while and hide escape. I got a job bartending over at Obvious within the first couple days and I've been busy with that but I had kind of a rough day today so... She shrugged a little, unaware that she was rambling a little bit. If she had noticed, she would have apologized up and down, but as it was, she picked up her drink and drained the small amount of liquid that was left in the glass.Here I am. She flashed something of a quick, good natured smile, the expression not lasting long as she looked around, eyes alighting on the people with.... hoses attached to their faces? Uh... What? What are they doing? She wondered aloud, not enlightened to the fact of why the O Club was called the O Club.

Thank you but... Why wouldn't you be? It was a fair question. Jem shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just as good as anyone at saying welcome I suppose. This just isn't my typical haunt. Not sure if it's my place to welcome someone to a place I don't know all that much about. If you ever stop in Spectrum though, I can definitely welcome you there." Spectrum he knew. He worked there, he had partied there, met plenty of people there. Some good. Some who were a lot of fun. Some he wished he had never met to begin with. But he liked his job. It was part of the reason he remained in Mariet.

So was she new here? To the O club specifically? To Mariet? Jem had never seen her before. An argument could be made that Jem did go through a heavy rotation of beautiful men and woman. But he was pretty sure he could point out people he had spent time with, or specifically slept with, out of a line up. He had a good memory when it came to pretty faces, which was a good thing. He had heard stories of men like him, flirting with a girl they had already had a one night stand with and didn't remember. This had yet to happen to him. Kind'f both, actually... Ah-hah. New town, new life, new experiences? He had talked to people like that before. Moving was kind of nice for that he supposed. Moving meant no one knew you or your past. Not that Jem needed any help in the socializing department. I've only lived here for about two weeks. Maybe three... I can't really recall. Jem raised an eyebrow. "Damn. That is new." he could remember being that new here. It sucked. He lived outta his car, had no cash. Didn't know what he was doing at all.

I got a job bartending over at Obvious within the first couple days and I've been busy with that but I had kind of a rough day today so... Jem raised his glass. "Ah, a fellow bartender. Cheers to that." he took a sip of his drink. "I'm a bar tender over at Spectrum." he told her. Obvious was a bit high class for him. "I bet you'll do well there." Pretty face like that. Yeah. She'd do just fine in tips. Jem had no doubts about that. But she said she had had a rough day today... Huh... well he'd be only too happy to try and improve it. "What's a rough day in the life of Jess? Bunch of drunk men hittin you up all night long?" Hey, even Jem who flirted with just about anything that moved, could find that shit annoying.

The atmosphere of The O Club was an interesting one. But Jem's eyes were focused on Jess while she looked around the room. A crooked smile on his lips. What are they doing? Jem looked up to see what she was talking about. Unsurprisingly she was motioning over to some people with tubes attached to their noses. Jem couldn't help but laugh. Not at Jess. Well sort of. But it was because of her reaction, not because she didn't know, it just amused him. "They're huffing scented oxygen. It's supposed to give you a kind of high. Of course people look ridiculous doing it." Jem looked back at her. "Not my kind of poison." The things Jem did to his body were far more dangerous than oxygen huffing. "Besides. It doesn't matter how cute you are. A tube to the nose is never a good look."